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News, notes, rumors, and gossip: Thursday, October 4, 2012

HERE NOW THE NEWS

EXCERPTS FROM EXTERNAL NEWS ARTICLES REGARDING THE NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS ARE POSTED UNDER THEIR SOURCES. MISCELLANEOUS SPORTS ARTICLES ARE POSTED UNDER THE "MISCELLANEOUS" SECTION AT THE END OF THE THREAD. LINKS FOR ALL LISTED SOURCES ARE INCLUDED TO ALLOW MEMBERS TO INDEPENDENTLY BROWSE AT THEIR LEISURE.

Excerpt: "The Giants have a lengthy injury report this week, and three days before they face the Browns, several key players are still not practicing.

Safeties Antrel Rolle (knee) and Kenny Phillips (knee), receiver Ramses Barden (concussion) and defensive tackle Rocky Bernard (quadriceps) were not out on the practice field during the portion of practice open to the media.

Receiver Hakeem Nicks (knee/foot), cornerback Corey Webster (hand) and linebacker Michael Boley (hip) are also among the group not practicing, instead riding the stationary bikes on the side of the field." Read more...

Excerpt: "The revolving door between Eli Manning and teammates healthy enough to catch his passes keeps spinning at a record pace this season.

Hakeem Nicks, in two weeks ago against Tampa Bay, Domenik Hixon out.Ramses Barden assumes a starring role the following week against Carolina.

Then Hixon was back as the starter opposite Victor Cruz and both topped 100 yards receiving in the Giants’ 19-17 loss to the Eagles four days ago.
Where the opposition – and just about everyone else, truth be told – may perceive weakness, the Giants’ battered group of wide receivers sees opportunity.
"You would’ve never heard of Tom Brady if Drew Bledsoe wouldn’t have got hurt," Hixon said after Wednesday’s practice during which Manning and the offense were without Nicks (foot/knee) and Barden (concussion), and only four receivers from the team’s active roster on the field participating. "That’s one of those things where, a guy gets injured and another guy steps up and you keep it moving." Read more...

Giants' Henry Hynoski excited to play the Browns, his father's former team

Excerpt: "He wasn't born for another 13 years, but Henry Hynoski heard plenty about his father's lone NFL season in 1975 growing up.

On Sunday, the son will go up against the Cleveland Browns, the team that selected his father, also named Henry Hynoski, in the sixth round of the 1975 draft.

"When I was younger just always hearing the stories of how great of a player he was and how he played in the NFL and I was just so proud and had a lot to look up to growing up," Hynoski said. "And going up against his team is just really exciting. There's a lot of energy around this one for my family."

The son, now in his second season out of Pittsburgh, has seen an expanded role in the Giants offense through four games and is now in the third-down running back rotation because of his pass protection skills. Consequently, he's had the ball in his hands more: he has five receptions for 21 yards and two carries for seven yards. Last season, he didn't record a rush and had 12 catches for 83 yards the entire year." Read more...

Excerpt: "Four weeks may not seem like much, but for Tyler Sash, the month away from the Giants to serve a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs was an eternity.

He returned to practice Wednesday after splitting the previous four weeks between Miami and home in Iowa where he tried to stay in shape and stay connected with the sport anyway he could.

"Like a little kid getting to run free on the playground, man," Sash said of returning to practice. "It's good to be back." Read more...

Excerpt: "Rueben Randle knows what Chris Collinsworth said about him in Sunday night's NBC broadcast. He is aware Collinsworth questioned his work ethic on national television -- a few of his Twitter followers made sure of that.

But he wasn't aware that Victor Cruz did the same in a New York Post report published today. In the article, Cruz questioned the rookie wide receiver's attitude and professionalism.

"I don’t know anything about it so I'm not sure what Victor has said," Randle said this afternoon. "It's my first time hearing about it."

Randle, a second-round pick, said coaches haven't asked him to pick up the effort, but to "play faster" and study both film and the playbook more." Read more...

Excerpt: "Right tackle David Diehl was back on the practice field today, taking a limited number of reps, for the first time since spraining his MCL against the Buccaneers.

But the Giants still worked without two starting offensive linemen: center David Baas (hand) and right guard Chris Snee (hip). While practice was open to the media, Baas watched position drills from the side with his right arm taped up, while Snee stayed inside working out.

Baas has a swollen hand but declined to say when it happened. He said he'll practice Thursday and is "not worried" about playing this week against the Browns. The goal today was to minimize the swelling, which he says "tends to go a lot of different places," resulting in his entire arm being taped up." Read more...

Excerpt: "Hakeem Nicks, who has already missed two games with an injured foot and knee, has been temporarily shut down in the hopes that an extra weekend of rest will give him a better chance to heal.

Nicks was officially declared “out” of the Giants’ game on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, according to Tom Coughlin, leaving the Giants again without their No. receiver. Nicks hasn’t practiced since last Thursday due to swelling in his knee and issues with his surgically repaired foot.

The “idea”, Coughlin said, is to keep him out until next Wednesday when the Giants begin practicing for their trip to San Francisco in the hopes he’ll be able to return to face the 49ers on Oct. 14." Read more...

Excerpt: "Hakeem Nicks got a little closer to the football field on Thursday afternoon, but he’s still not quite there.

Completely absent from practice on Wednesday, the Giants’ top receiver at least made it to the “injury area” on Thursday, but all he was doing was riding the exercise bike as the Giants opened practice. Thursday is usually his scheduled day to practice, so his absence casts serious doubt on whether he’ll be able to play on Sunday afternoon against the Cleveland Browns." Read more...Giants in need of motivation heading into Sunday's game against Cleveland

They struggle against lesser teams and find many ways to drop winnable games against the Eagles. Eli Manning would be
far better off if he could just fast-forward to the playoffs and put on his road warrior face. In the dead of winter, the Giants are not scared of anybody, anywhere.

Unfortunately, the NFL forces the Giants each year to qualify in September through December for contests in January and February. There are several months ahead of hand-wringing, late-breaking tiebreaker scenarios and reluctant injury reports.

On Sunday, Manning will find himself playing a classic trap game against an inferior team, the winless Cleveland Browns. The Browns are so green, so bad, no network wants to air this game in prime time. The kickoff is set for shortly after 1 p.m., which is the one really good thing about playing a no-win contest against a bunch of losers. After playing three out of four night games to open the season, Manning finally gets back to his daylight roots.

“That’s when we like playing football,” Manning said Wednesday. “Growing up in New Orleans, the games were at 12 o’clock, and that’s what I thought about football. You get up and go play. You don’t waste a full day waiting and waiting and waiting.” Read more...

Excerpt: "Tom Coughlin dismissed his opponent’s 0-4 record and ignored the lowest-rated starting quarterback in the NFL. There was no mention of his opponent’s rushing struggles, or its moribund offense.

No, to hear the Giants coach talk about it, the Cleveland Browns are a young team on the cusp of greatness.

“Don’t be misled by Cleveland’s record,” Coughlin said Wednesday.

“They’re a good, young team. They have some 15 players that are rookies, 11 second-year players. But they play hard, they battle hard.”

Coughlin said that was his “initial thought” to the Giants on Wednesday. Over the past few years, these sleepy Sunday games have been nightmares for the Giants.

When Justin Tuck can’t tell you he “hates” his opponent and Osi Umenyiora doesn’t have a Twitter beef with a tailback, the Giants have displayed a frustrating tendency to falter." Read more...

“As a rookie you come in and you’re going to struggle,” said the second-round pick out of LSU. “My job here is just to continue to work hard, gain the trust of my teammates and the coaching staff and take advantage of the opportunities that they give me.”

So far it sounds like Randle is doing that – at least he is now. Though no one outwardly questioned his work ethic or agreed with Collinsworth on Wednesday, Eli Manning seemed to indicate that Randle’s attitude was something that had to improve.

“He’s young and he’s trying to figure out what it takes to compete and get mentally and physically ready for upcoming games,” Manning said. “He has talent. He’s been working better, understanding just how we work and prepare each week. He’s doing a good job of putting everything together.” Read more...SITE LINK

Excerpt: "Before he was Eli Manning, two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback, before he was one-time Super Bowl MVP, back when he was a famous player but not nearly a great one, back when there was every reason to wonder what legacy he would leave behind, Manning shared.

It is one of his most underrated assets. As he mastered his position, he quickly realized it would do him no good if those around him, even the roster bottom-feeders, did not know what he knew.

“I came from Denver, my first day of practice, know none of the plays,’’ receiver Domenik Hixon said yesterday, recalling a day in October of 2007. “I ran a route and Eli came, pulled me to the side and said ‘This is what I’m expecting.’ I kind of was like ‘Wow.’ I’m the last guy on the depth chart at receiver but just in case I ought to know what to do." Read more...

Excerpt: "With their receiving corps thinned even further by injury, the Giants are making one thing very clear — Rueben Randle needs to work harder and be smarter.

The second-round pick from LSU remained under the microscope yesterday after Big Blue revealed wideout Ramses Barden had suffered a concussion in the waning moments of Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, a development that only added to the Giants’ woes at that position.

Hakeem Nicks has missed the past two games with knee swelling that apparently isn’t getting better, so Barden’s injury means two of the Giants’ top four receivers could be unavailable when they play host to the 0-4 Browns on Sunday." Read more...

Excerpt: "RT David Diehl was back on the practice field as a limited participant Wednesday for the first time since spraining the MCL in his right knee against the Buccaneers in Week 2.

The Giants still were without two starters on the line: C David Baas (hand) and RG Chris Snee (hip).

Baas’ swollen hand caused three bad snaps in Sunday’s 19-17 loss to the Eagles, Tom Coughlin said Monday. Baas said he was not worried about his availability for the game against the Browns, promising he would be on the field today.

Excerpt: "New York Giants rookie wide receiver Rueben Randle has come under some criticism after last week's game. Some, including fellow wide receiver Victor Cruz, have questioned his work ethic and maturity level. But after injuries suffered by starter Hakeem Nicks (knee) and Ramses Barden (concussion), Randle may get his chance this Sunday against the Browns to prove his head is in the game, and he's capable of making an impact when his team needs him.

First it was commentator Chris Collinsworth that chimed in saying his "work ethic has been questioned a bit with the Giants." Then after hearing Collinsworth's remarks, Victor Cruz admitted he's noticed Rueben is struggling but offered encouraging words in hopes of keeping Randle's head straight." Read more...

Excerpt: "The New York Giants are 2-2 going into week five of the NFL regular season, but given the fan reaction, media coverage and player statements you'd think they were about to be contracted. That negativity continued on Thursday as another eight players missed practice, while the defensive line was uncharacteristically open about their current predicament.

"I'm not having that fun I'm used to," Jason Pierre-Paul said. "I don't have that energy like I had last year. And that goes for the other guys, too. You can see it in their eyes that they're not having fun with the game. They got to find [themselves] and I got to find myself so I'm just looking to find myself."

Defensive captain and fellow defensive end Justin Tuck echoed his teammate's statements about not having fun, but took it a step further. As he did a year ago, Tuck criticized his own play … bluntly. And for the second time in as many seasons, the veteran says he "sucks." Read more...

Excerpt: "We’re kidding, but maybe we shouldn’t be…the New York Giants injury situation is rising to almost comedic levels as the 0-4 Cleveland Browns come rolling into town. Paul Dottino of WFAN reports that Antrel Rolle is likely to miss the upcoming game, joining fellow starting safety Kenny Phillips in that regard. There’s no reason to expect Hakeem Nicks back, and Rocky Bernard, Ramses Barden, Corey Webster and Michael Boley all sat out today’s practice, leaving their status up in the air (at best)." Read more...

Excerpt: "The New York Giants dropped to 2-2 and 0-2 in the division in brutal fashion on Sunday night, as they were about three yards short of being 3-1 on aLawrence Tynes 54-yard field goal attempt. Ramses Barden became the scapegoat late in the game. After the Giants got two pass interference calls in their favor, Barden committed an offensive pass interference that put the Giants out of field goal range. My question was – why are the Giants going deep in that situation to begin with? That type of unnecessary risk is something you rarely see from Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin in late game drives.

Today, we take a close look at the Giants' week four loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and what we saw in all phases of the game from Big Blue.
Key Reason for Loss: Poor offensive execution and decision making
First and foremost, the third down offense was just some of the worst we've seen from this Giants offensive unit in quite some time. Two for ten on third down is not going to keep you in many football games, yet the Giants still had a shot to win this game on the final drive. The running game continues to fail to be an asset for the offense which certainly isn't helping their third down production.

Eli Manning had an interception in the red zone that took points off the board after what was the Giants most impressive drive of the night to that point. Finally on the final drive, we saw something extremely rare – as Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning both made what look to be poor decisions in hindsight. They've been so good in late game situations over the past couple of seasons that it was almost shocking to see Manning throw a dangerous ball towards the end zone when the Giants had a 44 yard field goal attempt in hand, and even more shocking perhaps that Tom Coughlin did not insist that the team run the football on that second down and pick up a couple more yards to put the kick very comfortably in Lawrence Tynes range. Instead, Manning took a risk and threw the ball down the sideline, Nnamdi Asomugha got in good position to pick it off and Ramses Barden committed an offensive pass interference costing the Giants ten yards on the kick.
These are things you rarely see from this Giants football team in close games and in the fourth quarter." Read more...

Excerpt: "There are a lot of terrific football writers on the SB Nation Network who I rarely get the opportunity to interact with. Chris Pokorny of SB Nation'sCleveland Browns web site, 'Dawgs By Nature,' is one of those. With theGiants hosting the Browns this week I swapped some questions with Chris about Sunday's game.

Below, 'Five questions with Dawgs By Nature.'

Big Blue View: Your impressions of Brandon Weeden thus far? Despite being 0-4 and averaging just 18 points per game are you seeing signs that he could be the long-term answer at quarterback?" Read more...

Excerpt: "Wow. Mikey's Crystal Ball was looking great at 10-3 before Lawrence Tynesdropped a near impossible boot 2 yards short and became Tony Romo again. But 10-5 is better than 4-12 any day. With that, let's have a look at Week 5.....

Cleveland at NY Giants-If you are not nervous, you are not paying attention. I want Tom Coughlin to convince the Giants that this is the Super Bowl, because otherwise they will start looking ahead to San Francisco, and I want them to remember that beat down suffered in Cleveland four years ago on Monday night, that I think was also in Week 5. There was Week 5's home loss to the Seahawks last year. Then there is the obvious-you absolutely cannot lose to an 0-4 team. Giants 27, Browns 13" Read more...NY Giants' news and notes: Antrel Rolle Video and more

"No, it's not difficult. It's the next game. For us, coming out of it, it was a disappointing loss for us, second division loss at that. So we're definitely looking to bounce back and rebound from that game."

"I think we have to move forward, and understand that we've got theCleveland Browns coming to town. We've got to prepare ourselves for them. ... We understand that this is a must-win for us. We have to get ready to play, prepare, and we've got to have all of our weapons handy, go in there, play a good game, and win." Read more...

It isn't really all that bothersome that NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth called out Randle during Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, saying that his "work ethic has been questioned a bit with the Giants."

What is bothersome is that when asked about Randle, the player the rookie should be trying to emulate indicated that Collinsworth was right." Read more...

Excerpt: "The Cleveland Browns enter the weekend contest 0-4, but coming off their best performance to date on a short week against division rival Baltimore Ravens. The Browns have not been a successful team recently, but that didn't stop them from causing the New York Giants fits when they last met in 2008, a year the Giants would end up going 12-4.

The Giants are the New York Giants, a team that defies logic. And this will probably be a game that goes down to the wire." Read more...Giants' injury report: Thirteen an unlucky number

Excerpt: "Giants’ fullback Henry Hynoski has a lot more in common with his father than you might think.

In addition to being his father’s namesake, Hynoski is fast becoming known in NFL circles as a conscientious, multifaceted fullback who not only clears running lanes for his running backs, but also is a threat to do damage with the ball in his hands, just as his father was for the Cleveland Browns, who this week face the Giants, during his brief career.

But that’s about where the similarities end, at least according to the elder Hynoski, a former 1975 sixth-round draft pick who saw his budding NFL career come to a premature end, thanks to a shoulder injury." Read more...

Excerpt: "While I am sure some of you are still smarting over the Giants’ 19-17 loss against the Eagles, I went looking for something – anything – to help ease the sting, if just a bit.

What I found is that the statistics show that the games between the Giants and Eagles are a lot closer than they often times seem, and that the notion of the Eagles having the Giants number is slightly exaggerated.

Allow me to explain. I went back to see just how “bad” the Giants losses were to the Eagles since 2008, when Philly’s supposed dominance kicked in. With the exception of the 2009 season, the Eagles haven’t beaten the Giants by more than 20 points in the annual series (two regular season games).

In 2008, Philly just edged the Giants 51-50 in the two games played. In 2009, it was 85-55. In 2010, 65-48.

Last year, the Giants had the upper hand (and snapped the Eagles’ win streak over them thanks to the first game in the series), 39-33. This year, the Eagles got by with just a two-point victory." Read more...

Excerpt: "Giants head coach Tom Coughlin ruled WR Hakeem Nicks out for Sunday’s game against the Browns.Nicks, who fractured the fifth metatarsal of his right foot in May, has missed the last two games. Coughlin said it’s a combination of foot and knee soreness that could use more rest." Read more...